Page 75 of Silent Ridge

“I had a knife in my boot. She threw it out there in the trees somewhere.”

“We’ll look.”

Sheriff Gray smiles and shakes his hand. Mike gives us a parting shot. “Don’t leave the country.”

He’s a joker. Two dead bodies, two almost victims, and he’s making a joke.

I like him.

Sixty-One

I ride back to the office with Tony and Ronnie. He will send a deputy to pick up my car and leave it at the office. We’re mostly silent the entire trip for different reasons but all pertain to the same incident. I’m in no shape to even go into the office. Ronnie offers to let me sleep on her couch and I take her up on it.

“Do you feel up to driving?” I ask her while Sheriff Gray goes into the office.

“I’m fine, Megan,” she says. She doesn’t look fine. But I can drive if I have to.

Sheriff Gray comes out. “You know the routine,” he says to Ronnie. “I have to send your weapon to Crime Scene for ballistics tests. But in the meantime, you both need to have something.” He has two .45 semiautomatics tucked into the back of his waistband. He hands one to me and one to Ronnie.

“Don’t get into trouble with these,” he says. “Don’t go anywhere but straight home. Go to sleep. Be back here at nine o’clock to give your statements to Detective Felson. Then you’re off for a couple of days.”

“What about the reports?” I ask.

“You’ll do them tomorrow before you take some time off. Like last time.”

I want to argue. I need to get the report done while this is fresh, but I can barely keep my eyes open.

“Go home,” he says.

“She’s staying with me tonight,” Ronnie says.

“Okay. And, Ronnie?”

“Yes, Sheriff.”

“We’ll have that swearing-in ceremony in a few days. You did good out there. I’m proud of you.”

How about me? I didn’t get killed. I think he should be proud of me. But he heard a lot of stuff the crazy woman said and I don’t think I’m his favorite person right now.

Ronnie thanks him and we go to her place. The Big Red Barn is a B&B that Ronnie has on long-term lease. It’s fitting since it was the scene of last month’s drama. Neither of us want to go for a drink. I’m afraid of mixing alcohol with poison. Ronnie shouldn’t start drowning her stress with the stuff. We go straight to her place like the sheriff ordered.

Once there, I plop down on the big leather comfortable couch. I may never move again.

“Do you want the bedroom, Megan? It might be more comfortable.”

“I’m fine here.”

“Do you want to shower?” she asks.

“Go to bed,” I say.

She turns to go and comes back to the couch. “Megan.”

“Yeah,” I say. I’m just about asleep. I’m safe-ish. I’m hungry but it’ll wait.

“What’s it like?” she asks.

“What’s what like?”

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